New Hampshire Center for School Reform

New Hampshire's One-Stop  School Reform & Charter School Resource Group

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NEW HAMPSHIRE CHARTER SCHOOLS

FIRST YEAR RESULTS

PRELIMINARY REPORT

June 6, 2005

Editor’s Note:

After studying the first-year-of-charter-schools trials and tribulations in other states, my personal concern for New Hampshire was that our state would start with strong, well-managed, high-performing charter schools. To this end, our first charters included very exacting assessment guidelines—with baseline, mid-year, and year-end assessments using nationally-normed and respected tests. With the support of the Department of Education, start-up guides were developed in areas of governance and financial management. From the outset, most of our charter school boards governed with well-defined management and financial policies in place. And then…pioneering school boards began schools, hired in pioneering new directors and staff, located facilities, recruited students, and off we went. Six schools opened this school year—3 in September and 3 in January--with less funding than almost anywhere in the country. But New Hampshire’s first chartered public schools were determined.

Our results are respectable and even remarkable. We’ll be adding to our 1^st Year Results as information becomes available.

NORTH COUNTRY ALTERNATIVE CHARTER SCHOOL opened in Littleton and Lancaster, serving at-risk students in grades 7-12, including students who had dropped out as far back as 2001. Comments from Dan Shoemake, Executive Director of North Country Educational Services, Inc., and Lisa LaVoie, the school’s director and start-up administrator:

“Our school served 46 students this year; 21 (46%) will receive their high school diploma in June and 7 will attend post-secondary education (33%).

“Of the 21 2004-2005 graduates, 9 were high school dropouts going back to 2001.

“The wonderful thing about our charter school graduates is how their attitudes have changed since beginning at this school. Most were reluctant to believe they could perform at college level, never mind being able to afford college. To these students higher education is now a reality.

“Although many of our students did not thrive in school previously and/or had dropped out, we had 89% attendance rate at the Littleton site and 90% attendance tat the Lancaster site.”

“At mid-year, our average student improvement in math was 2.2 grade levels; in writing a 1.4 grade level gain was the average.

“All 9 of the participating School Administrative Unit superintendents are supporting this charter school. This represents 26 or 28 school districts where there is overwhelming support.

SEACOAST CHARTER SCHOOL Stratham, serving grades 3-5, in a small charter school whose mission is a rigorous academic curriculum and strong arts program.

Comments from Emily Hamilton, School Director/Head Teacher:

“We have 100% of our students performing in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream this Thursday night.

“100% of our students have studied visual art and are now playing cello and violin.

”100% of our students are thriving in academics. We are project-based and use Core Knowledge which is quite a rigorous academic program.

“Students and parents have written their views on this charter school’s first year. One 3^rd grader wrote: “Seacoast Charter School has made me a better student and a better person.”

“One parent wrote: “Our child now looks forward to going to school.” And another: “We have seen tremendous growth in our son’s character and compassion for others.”

“Enrollment doubled during the year and is doubling again next year.”

Assessments to look at year-end progress are now taking place. This school gave pre-tests and post-tests for curriculum units.

FRANKLIN CAREER ACADEMY, Franklin, serving grades 7-12 with a college-prep curriculum and a mission to assure students developed a can-do attitude about academics and have exposure to careers. Comments from Carol Sideris, School Director:

“We will have 4 students graduate in June. We have students who would not be getting a diploma if it were not for our school.

“Our students have read an average of 10 books of 200 pages in length.

“We have 1,000 hours of parent volunteer support, in areas from tutoring to technical assistance.

“100% of our upperclassmen, grades 11 and 12, are reading at grade level.

“100% of our seniors who are graduating earned their high school diploma.

“We have students who have been accepted at college!

“At mid-year, 25% of our 7^th grade students had advanced 2 grade levels in reading and 12.5% had advanced 3 grade levels in reading. 28.5% of our 8^th graders and 43% of our 9^th grades had also advanced 2 grade levels in reading.

Year-end reading testing for Franklin Career Academy, grades 7 – 10, was completed today, June 7, 2005. Preliminary results of 24 students indicate 9 students (38%) advanced 3 or more grade levels, with a few students assessed at advancing 6 or more years in reading.

“There is a lot of interest in our school. I have been conducting visits for parents and students all year, right up through June. Our next year is on hold due to funding issues.

THE LAURENT CLERC ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL, Concord, currently serving students in grades 1-6 in a bilingual environment (American Sign Language and printed English). This school’s mission involves having a very high standards academic program taught in American Sign Language for deaf and hearing students who use ASL.

Preliminary comments from Susan Brule, School Director and expert in deaf education:

“The biggest challenge of deaf students is progressing through developmental stages of reading. One of our deaf students has moved up one complete developmental level in reading. We are thrilled and look forward to the opportunity to touch the lives of all deaf students in New Hampshire.

“Our hearing students have improved in their American Sign Language fluency.

“We offer a high-standards elementary, inquiry-based science and social studies program. Two parents visiting our school and considering placement for next year commented that their children had never really been exposed to science and social studies before.

“We had to open with very few students so we could open, but we expect to double in size for next year.

Editor’s note: New Hampshire has not had a “school” serving deaf students for over 25 years. This school started at the initiative of the New Hampshire Commissioner for the Deaf, following 5 years of study about needs for children’s services. Designers of this school used the most current research on efficient ways of teaching deaf students. Under various US Department of Education rulings, educating deaf students in a separate school can be considered the least restrictive environment vis-à-vis special education. Interpreters are not needed at LCA, and students learn directly from their teachers.

Stay tuned:

Susan Hollins